Tichafa Samuel Parirenyatwa
Encyclopedia
Doctor Tichafa Samuel Parirenyatwa (1927-1962), born in Rusape
, Manicaland; grew up in Sakubva township, Mutare
, Manicaland
. Dr Tichafa Parirenyatwa was Zimbabwe
’s first black medical doctor, and the first Vice-President of ZAPU. He was an African Nationalist best known for his fight against white minority rule in Rhodesia
(now Zimbabwe
).
, Manicaland; grew up in Sakubva township, Mutare
, Manicaland
. He was Zimbabwe
’s first black medical doctor, and the first Vice-President of ZAPU. He was an African Nationalist best known for his fight against white minority rule in Rhodesia
(now Zimbabwe
).
Along with many African nationalists, Tichafa Samuel Parirenyatwa attended Fort Hare University in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, obtaining his medical degree from the University of Witwatersrand in 1957. Two other Zimbabweans were shortly to follow in his footsteps, Silas Mundawarara, who became minister of Health in the short-lived Zimbabwe-Rhodesia government in 1979 and E.M. Pswarayi, who became Deputy Minister of Health in the ZANU(PF) government in the late 1980’s.
When Dr Parirenyatwa was appointed Medical Officer in Charge of Antelope Mine Hospital in Matabeleland, some of the local white farmers were horrified. A group of them wrote to the Chronicle in protest, the inference, not quite spelt out but nonetheless clear, that it was unacceptable to have a black man attending to their wives.
During the course of 1960, Dr Tichafa Parirenyatwa, together with Zimbabwe’s first African barrister, Advocate Herbert Chitepo was brought into the leadership of the recently formed National Democratic Party (NDP).
On 8 December 1961, the NDP was banned by the Rhodesian government led by Edgar Whitehead. The nationalists wasted no time, and on the 17 December 1961, ZAPU was born with Joshua Nkomo as President and Tichafa Parirenyatwa as Deputy President. This young man received this high position because of the work he had done recruiting young intellectuals into the nationalist movement and in organising the party network from grassroots to the national executive.
Probably the most difficult task that the new ZAPU Deputy President had was to talk to trade union leader Reuben Jamela. Jamela was the leader of the Southern Rhodesian Trade Union Congress (SRTUC). He was organising the trade union centre so that the centre, controlled by him, was more important than the individual trade unions; worse, he had affiliated the SRTUC to the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), as opposed to the communist led World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), to which the trade union federations of most African countries were affiliated. He also received substantial funding from the American trade union body the AFL/CIO which was under the control of US intelligence with the USA being closely allied to Britain, the colonial power, and saw Jamela as a person who could be used to block revolution in Zimbabwe. Jamela reported regularly to the US consulate in Salisbury and it is from one such report to US Consul-General Mulcahy that we learn that Parirenyatwa had a six hour meeting in 1962 in which he urged Jamela to disaffiliate the SRTUC from the ICFTU. Later the same year, Jamela formed the militant sounding Pan-African Socialist Party (PASU).
Tichafa Samuel Parirenyatwa was 35 years old when he died, leaving a wife and five children.
His funeral was a very emotional affair. Reuben Jamela turned up; angry ZAPU youth burned his car and started beating him. His life was saved by Josiah Chinamano, later to hold Parirenyatwa’s post as Deputy President of ZAPU.
Parirenyatwa Hospital
Immediately after Independence in 1980, Alexander Fleming Hospital in Harare was re-named Parirenyatwa and opened to all races. Tichafa’s son David also became a medical doctor, later becoming Minister of Health in the ZANU(PF) government.
Rusape
Rusape is a town in the province of Manicaland, Zimbabwe with a population of around 20,000 , situated on the Harare-Mutare main road, approximately 170 km south east of Harare and 93 km north west of Mutare. Rusape is a large, sprawling town that has not quite reached city status...
, Manicaland; grew up in Sakubva township, Mutare
Mutare
Mutare is the fourth largest city in Zimbabwe, with a population of around 170,000. It is the capital of Manicaland province.-History:...
, Manicaland
Manicaland
Manicaland is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of and a population of approximately 1.6 million . Mutare is the capital of the province. -Background:...
. Dr Tichafa Parirenyatwa was Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
’s first black medical doctor, and the first Vice-President of ZAPU. He was an African Nationalist best known for his fight against white minority rule in Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
(now Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
).
Early days
Dr Tichafa Samuel Parirenyatwa (1927-1962), born in RusapeRusape
Rusape is a town in the province of Manicaland, Zimbabwe with a population of around 20,000 , situated on the Harare-Mutare main road, approximately 170 km south east of Harare and 93 km north west of Mutare. Rusape is a large, sprawling town that has not quite reached city status...
, Manicaland; grew up in Sakubva township, Mutare
Mutare
Mutare is the fourth largest city in Zimbabwe, with a population of around 170,000. It is the capital of Manicaland province.-History:...
, Manicaland
Manicaland
Manicaland is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of and a population of approximately 1.6 million . Mutare is the capital of the province. -Background:...
. He was Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
’s first black medical doctor, and the first Vice-President of ZAPU. He was an African Nationalist best known for his fight against white minority rule in Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
(now Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
).
Along with many African nationalists, Tichafa Samuel Parirenyatwa attended Fort Hare University in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, obtaining his medical degree from the University of Witwatersrand in 1957. Two other Zimbabweans were shortly to follow in his footsteps, Silas Mundawarara, who became minister of Health in the short-lived Zimbabwe-Rhodesia government in 1979 and E.M. Pswarayi, who became Deputy Minister of Health in the ZANU(PF) government in the late 1980’s.
When Dr Parirenyatwa was appointed Medical Officer in Charge of Antelope Mine Hospital in Matabeleland, some of the local white farmers were horrified. A group of them wrote to the Chronicle in protest, the inference, not quite spelt out but nonetheless clear, that it was unacceptable to have a black man attending to their wives.
Political Activities
Dr Parirenyatwa was forced to resign from government service in 1961 due to his political activity, there was another letter to the Chronicle from local white farmers. They were wholeheartedly thanking him for his services and the inference, not quite spelled out but nonetheless clear, was that they were not looking forward to an Antelope Mine Hospital without Dr Parirenyatwa to treat them and their wives.During the course of 1960, Dr Tichafa Parirenyatwa, together with Zimbabwe’s first African barrister, Advocate Herbert Chitepo was brought into the leadership of the recently formed National Democratic Party (NDP).
On 8 December 1961, the NDP was banned by the Rhodesian government led by Edgar Whitehead. The nationalists wasted no time, and on the 17 December 1961, ZAPU was born with Joshua Nkomo as President and Tichafa Parirenyatwa as Deputy President. This young man received this high position because of the work he had done recruiting young intellectuals into the nationalist movement and in organising the party network from grassroots to the national executive.
Probably the most difficult task that the new ZAPU Deputy President had was to talk to trade union leader Reuben Jamela. Jamela was the leader of the Southern Rhodesian Trade Union Congress (SRTUC). He was organising the trade union centre so that the centre, controlled by him, was more important than the individual trade unions; worse, he had affiliated the SRTUC to the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), as opposed to the communist led World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), to which the trade union federations of most African countries were affiliated. He also received substantial funding from the American trade union body the AFL/CIO which was under the control of US intelligence with the USA being closely allied to Britain, the colonial power, and saw Jamela as a person who could be used to block revolution in Zimbabwe. Jamela reported regularly to the US consulate in Salisbury and it is from one such report to US Consul-General Mulcahy that we learn that Parirenyatwa had a six hour meeting in 1962 in which he urged Jamela to disaffiliate the SRTUC from the ICFTU. Later the same year, Jamela formed the militant sounding Pan-African Socialist Party (PASU).
His Death
On the 14 August 1962, Tichafa Parirenyatwa was being driven to meet Joshua Nkomo. According to official reports, the car was hit by a train on the level crossing at Heaney Junction outside Gwelo (now Gweru). According to the driver, Danger Sibanda, the car was stopped and eight white men came and beat them. When the driver woke up (he was admitted to hospital later) Parirenyatwa was dead. The car had been brought to the level crossing to make it look like an accident. Leo Baron, Joshua Nkomo’s lawyer, had seen the body. He told Nkomo and Garfield Todd that it looked like Parirenyatwa’s hands had been tied behind his back.Tichafa Samuel Parirenyatwa was 35 years old when he died, leaving a wife and five children.
His funeral was a very emotional affair. Reuben Jamela turned up; angry ZAPU youth burned his car and started beating him. His life was saved by Josiah Chinamano, later to hold Parirenyatwa’s post as Deputy President of ZAPU.